Description
Easy cowboy baked beans are a great side dish for any barbecue. Enjoy this simple recipe that can be done on the oven or the smoker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 slices of bacon, sliced and browned (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 small onion, cut into small to medium dice, (about 1–1/2 cups)
- 3 celery stalks, cut into small to medium dice, (about 1 cup)
- 1 green pepper, cut into small to medium dice, (about 1 cup)
- 3 (16-ounce) cans pork and beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons molasses (or something sweet)
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice (or something sour)
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F or if using a smoker, preheat the smoker anywhere between 225°F -325°F.
- In a medium or large saucepan with an oven-safe handle, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and then remove and crumble and set aside.
- Dice the onion, celery, and green pepper and add to the bacon fat in the pan and cause until the vegetables are aromatic and the onion becomes translucent about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and add more sour ingredients if the flavor is flat.
- Using hot pads, place the cowboy baked beans to the oven or smoker. (You can transfer the baked beans to a decorative casserole dish or bean pot that you want to serve in at this point.)
- Cook in preheated oven or smoker for 2 hours (or more if smoking at a lower temperature) until thick and bubbly.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Something sweet can be molasses, maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar.
Something sour can be the juice from dill pickles, sweet pickle relish, apple cider vinegar, etc.
